The 2025 KNUST SRC Elections held on August 6, 2025, concluded with a landmark win and a wave of surprises across campus. Months of intense campaigning, debates, and last-minute withdrawals culminated in a tightly contested race that defied expectations and rewrote political norms at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
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| From left – Justice, Shakir and Klenam |
The elections, which began long before the second semester formally opened, saw the campus plastered with posters and flooded with campaign messages. While the final ballot featured 14 candidates contesting four positions — President, General Secretary, Financial Secretary, and Women’s Commissioner — the initial pool was much larger, with many aspirants dropping out along the way.
One of the earliest shocks came from presidential hopeful Elijah Dery, who stepped down over academic eligibility concerns. Dery had petitioned the school over the alleged leakage of his academic results on WhatsApp, despite his college not officially releasing grades or granting him access to his own records. His withdrawal added to a growing sense of drama surrounding the elections.
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| Shakir and his team at KSB |
In the presidential race, eight candidates competed, including two women — Mary-Ann Baawah and Jude Michelle. The top three contenders quickly emerged: Bernard Bosomah Yeboah (BBY), Jojo Reginald Gwira, and Shakir Waiz Is-Haq. Their campaigns were branded as the Experienced Pair, Ray of Hope, and Ubuntu, respectively.
BBY, a former Health Students' Association president, ran with Nana Gyebi, who resigned as the President of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences to join the ticket. Jojo, known for championing the repair of portions of the Ayeduase–Engineering gate road and rallying funds for a student’s medical emergency, partnered with Clifford Mensah . Shakir, a second-year Mathematics student with no prior student leadership role, emerged as the most unexpected force in the race.
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| Shakir and his team at Republic Hall |
Shakir’s campaign stood out not just for his “Ubuntu” mantra — promising inclusive leadership — but for his charisma, unique bald-headed look (popularly dubbed “sakora”), and social media strategy. Backed by second place presidential candidate in the 2024 elections, Kofi Boakye and Alukyi, his campaign gained immense traction online. Kofi Boakye, who lost narrowly in 2024, publicly endorsed Shakir and urged students to vote for him. "This is my first public endorsement in this year’s election and I make it with full confidence." he said in a tweet.
Dear @KNUSTGH, It is exactly 18:18 and I come to you with a very humble request.
— Dr. Apraku (@thekofiboakye) August 3, 2025
Throughout my journey as a student leader in our esteemed university community, I’ve come to understand firsthand the systems and realities that shape the effectiveness of leadership on our campus.… pic.twitter.com/BkgWvqIqeQ
Shakir’s message resonated. He topped the vetting process with 82.1%, leading the presidential pack and surpassing BBY’s 77.3%. His eventual election victory with 9,149 votes (44.51%) made history. BBY followed with 7,441 votes (36.20%), while Jojo came in third with 3,336 votes (16.22%). Gregory Afriyie Nantwi secured just 18 votes, the least in the race.
After a series of defining moments where aspirants faced the vetting panel and responded to critical questions, the official vetting results have been released.
— KNUST NEWS FILE (@knustnewsfile) July 27, 2025
Do these results influence your decision on who to vote for?#KNUSTNewsFile #KNUSTDecides pic.twitter.com/BCV1djbDEc
Notably, Shakir also broke the trend of “second comers” — students who typically win SRC races on their second attempt — by winning on his first try, despite representing a department with a relatively smaller student base.
Shakir Is-Haq has been elected President of the KNUST SRC for the 2025/2026 academic year.#KNUSTNewsFile #KNUSTDecides pic.twitter.com/yl3CCJL9fQ
— KNUST NEWS FILE (@knustnewsfile) August 6, 2025
Other Positions:
The General Secretary position went to Kekeli Woelinam, a second-time contender who won convincingly with 16,764 votes (81.55%), leaving her opponent, Asiedu Stephanie Akosua, trailing with 3,419 votes.
The Financial Secretary race also ended in a landslide victory for Hezekiah Beckley Nutassey, another secondcomer, who defeated Nantwi-Gyeabour and Abdul Jalil with a total of 13,715 votes.
In the Women's Commissioner race, Mavis Aning ran unopposed for the second time and secured her mandate with 8,674 'Yes' votes against 148 'No' votes.
Display of Election results for the 2025 KNUST SRC Elections.#KNUSTDecides25 pic.twitter.com/j7NSsptqoo
— KNUST SRC Electoral Commission (@KNUSTSRCEC) August 7, 2025
With these results, the 2025 KNUST SRC elections will go down as one of the most dynamic and unpredictable in recent memory — a celebration of student democracy, identity politics, and shifting traditions.
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